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Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Zilla is plotting the end of the world. He needs other people to help him accomplish this. It isn't long before he has a group of loyal followers. They all have their own job to do. Ian, for instance, has been going to several buildings that belong to the government and justice departments to plant listening devices. At least, that is what he thinks they are. It turns out that these devises release a deadly virus that turns humanity into the walking dead. Zilla rewards his followers with an antidote so that they won't get sick. What will the group do when they find out that Zilla made them responsible for the apocalypse?

The virus takes over the body of those who are getting sick. Death is inevitable, but their bodies keep going. The virus is using these bodies as a host and will attack the living every chance it gets. These puppets are everywhere and escaping seems impossible. The group hopes that the virus hasn't spread into other parts of the world. With a sailing boat they head out to Cuba, hoping to find refuge there. Is their destination as safe as they think it will be?

The group that Zilla has recruited consists of a colorful bunch of people. All members have their own strengths and weaknesses. I loved how they got together and learned how to function as a group of survivors. Their struggles felt so real since they all have to deal with their guilt. Neither of them wants to be a part of world destruction, but they are being dragged into this nonetheless. They believed in the wrong person and are now paying the price. I was hoping for them to find a safe place to live and to find a cure for the virus.

Fool's Apocalypse approaches what the end of the world would look like in a unique way. In most stories about zombies the apocalypse just happens without a clear reason why. In Fool's Apocalypse Anderson Atlas explains why the deceased are still stumbling around. I found it refreshing to have a background story. I love to read about conspiracy theories and because of this the story felt more real to me. Anderson Atlas has also included drawings in his story. These pictures made it easy for me to follow the story and they made it come alive in a great way. Fool's Apocalypse is different, original and creepy and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time the 'fools' were fighting their way to safety.

Advice

If you love to read the zombie genre and like a new and unique approach Fool's Apocalypse would be a great choice.

About Anderson Atlas

Anderson Atlas is an author and illustrator that lives in the hot Sonoran Desert among scaled survivors, steely eye hawks and majestic saguaros.

He's inspired by crowded malls, streams hidden by massive boulders, patches of moss, charred forests, and distant mountain ranges. To date, he's written 4 novels and illustrated a growing collection of beautiful children’s books. He also runs a successful freelance career involving painting for other children’s book writers and novelists.

Atlas, his wife, son and daughter live in Tucson, Arizona, where he is actively involved in book groups, helping with a ninja kid class and sailing in Southern Arizona lakes. In his free time, he reads, watches movies and spends a lot of time with family and friends.

I was an illustrator first, and would draw pictures that told stories. but the stories were too simple, like a beat in a song. It was incomplete. I branched out one day and flipped my drawing over and wrote a whole story about it. It was surreal, like a day dream and it made me feel less tense and stressed about work, family etc. That was it for me. I found a way to put two hobbies of mine together, reading and drawing and now my stories only get deeper, bigger and more exciting.

2. What makes your heart beat faster?

I typically freak out about ghosts and demons. Fools’ Apocalypse has a zombie theme, and that gets my heart going also, but there’s more of a thrill there. It would seem that surviving that world might be just a tad easier than a world full of demons, so as an act of self preservation I enjoy zombie genre horror the most.

3. Which horror monster do you fear the most?

Insanity

4. If the zombie apocalypse would happen today, what would you do?

I’ve a plan. But I can’t tell you my plan, lest it be taken by others. :) Just kidding. I’d actually get my friends and family together and others, too. I’d build a big group- strength in numbers right. Then we’d migrate south to the less populated areas. In Fools’ Apocalypse, it really is my fantasy of what I’d do. I’d get the biggest sailboat I could find and get to an island that would be easy to protect and live on. It was a fun part of the book to write and I’ve heard from readers that it was really fun to read.

5. What's your favorite horror movie?

I’m a fan of some old school flicks. Shining, Nightmare on Elm st, Evil Dead, Alien, Return of the Living Dear those were pretty epic. Newer ones that topped my list were WWZ, zombie land, 28 days later, Others, Cabin in the Woods

6. What's your worst nightmare?

The endless maze, the closing walls. I’ve had variations since I was young. I do have the occasional zombie dream, but that’s not a nightmare. Those are fun.

7. If your book was made into a movie, who would play the lead characters and why?

Zombie gere is one of my favorites. It was really just a fun, thought process, sketch pad, I’d-do-this-if-the-zombies-came kind of project. I mostly write YA sci/fi fantasy horror. But this was my first Adult book- rife with blood and guts, political themes and cussing.

9. What do you like the most about the horror genre?

It’s like fantasy. The doors are so far open, they practically don’t exist. The horror genre bends time, space, expectation, ideology, fear, love. it’s got it all and so does Fools’ Apocalypse.

10. What can we expect from you in the future?

I’m writing book 2 now. It’s called Killing Salvation and its all about what happens when the survivors get to Cuba. It’s different and flies a bit far from the zombies that plague the rest of the globe, but gets darker and dirtier.

Giveaway

Four very lucky readers of With Love For Books will receive a digital copy of Fool's Apocalypse by Anderson Atlas.